This Dance
by rukiaprincess
Summary: IchixRuki...A dance is coming up and partners are being chosen! Will Ichigo let Keigo take Rukia? Will Rukia let Ichigo take Orihime? Find out! Chapter 3!
1. Point Proven

AN: I'm working REALLY really hard on my other story, but apparently, I've hit a major writer's block. So, I wrote this awhile back for fun, and I hope it'll kill time until I get the last chapter of my other story written.

This story starts out really slow and traditional, but never you fear, it'll kick up a notch near the end. It's set after the Soul Society arc...But imagine with me a perfect world...where Rukia returns.

Thank you to notnow, who's prolly gonna smack me upside the head because I didn't let her finish proofreading...

* * *

**"Point Proven"**

**Chapter 1 **

A peaceful afternoon in Japan. A tiny mysterious girl sits talking to a tall lanky orange-haired kid after taking a break from notes. A red-haired kid lurks from behind his short locks of hair blocking his eyes. It's peaceful and all seems right in the world…

"RUKIA-CHAN!" Keigo leaped and whirled. With his eyes sparkling, he landed in front of the little dark-haired girl. Keigo smiled wide. "Hey, do you wanna go to the dance wi…"

PUNCH.

The orange-haired kid recoiled his fist after hitting Keigo, ending his sentence abruptly. Ichigo placed his head back into his palm. Without missing a beat, Ichigo spoke. "She's not interested."

Rukia shot the boy a glance before turning towards Keigo, who still bore an excited (but slightly swollen) smile. She smiled her best fake school-girl smile. "Asano-kun, I'd _love _to go to this 'dance' with you!"

Ichigo opened one of his eyes in Rukia's direction, but didn't say a word.

"YESSS!" Keigo grabbed Rukia's hand and held it up to his chest. Suddenly serious, he put a hand on the girl's cheek. "I'll make it a night you won't forget!"

With that, he twirled out of the room happily singing a song. Soon after, the lunch bell rang. Ichigo stood up with a deeper scowl on his face. He shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way out the door, well aware of the little shinigami following him. He turned and headed towards the usual spot on the roof.

About halfway to the top, Rukia decided to ask what was wrong. Still a bit upset that Ichigo had spoken for her without her consent, she finally decided on taunting him. In her sweetest voice possible, she leaned over and asked politely, "Whatever could be wrong, Kurosaki-_kun_?"

Ichigo hated it when she used that stupid voice. And he hated how she said his name. Something about Rukia being so polite all together bothered him. Not to mention that she agreed to go with Keigo to a dance. She probably didn't even know what he was asking. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, "You don't even know what a dance is, do you?"

The raven-haired girl only stopped and blinked with bright eyes. With her pure innocence, she asked, "What could be wrong with dancing? Renji and I used to do it all the time back in Soul Society."

Something about even the mentioning of the redhead's name got on Ichigo's last nerve. Every inch of his body warned him not to say anything, but his mouth carried on without the order. Under his breath he mumbled, "Probably had something else in mind…that bastard."

Suddenly beside him, Rukia eyed him warily. "What was that…?"

"Nothing." Quickly deciding on changing the subject before she could force anything else out of him, he continued, "Agreeing on going on a date with someone usually means more than just dancing."

"Then why is it called a _dance_!" Rukia half shouted, completely exasperated. She threw up her arms and waited for his response. At his silence, she continued, "ARG…You humans are the oddest sort!"

Upon finally reaching the roof top, they turned around and found Orihime bouncing gleefully up to them. Looking directly at Ichigo, she smiled her best smile. "Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo stepped away a little. "Hi, Inoue."

Orihime faltered slightly. She tugged on the edges of her skirt as a bright red blush appeared on her cheeks. Just barely above a whisper, she asked, "Kurosaki-kun…Do you have a date to the dance?"

It was plainly obvious to Ichigo that she had spent a lot of time mustering up the courage to ask him. He looked over his shoulder at Rukia and smirked quickly before turning back to the girl in front of him.

"Nah…" He answered coolly. "Would you want to go with me?"

Orihime's eyes glowed and her smile brightened. "I would love to!"

She turned around and skipped happily down the stairs, finally content to be able to get such a trial off her shoulders. Rukia watched her go.

"Hm…I wonder why she's so happy?" Rukia stated simply before turning away and crossing her arms over her chest. " I'm sure you can't dance to save your life."

Ichigo felt his eye twitch. He quickly looked around before continuing. "You want me to prove it to you?"

Rukia closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "A Hollow could dance better."

Before she could send another angry glance in his direction, Ichigo swept her into his arms. Grabbing one hand with his and placing his free hand on her waist, he pulled her closer.

"Ichi…" Rukia blushed deep red. She quickly tried to collect the broken pieces of her strong façade together. "What are you…"

"Shut up, I'm trying to prove something." Rukia bristled at the comment but decided to say nothing. Slowly she felt her self be led into a dance, unsteady at first, soon picking up pace. Rukia's heart fluttered as she felt his hand move ever so slightly on her lower back.

Circles and lines…One Two Three…Twirl…Ichigo led her into a simple dance. He twirled her out then pulled her back in, holding her close. They paused just a moment before he leaned down to whisper in her ear. Rukia could feel his warm breath gently tickling her neck.

Ichigo breathed softly, delighting in the tremors that shook her body.

Quietly he added, "Point proven."

Letting go abruptly, he turned on his heel and went down the stairs, shoving his hands into his pockets.

He didn't get to see a disheveled Rukia with a face hot and red. She was slightly dizzy but not from the circles she had been dancing. Absentmindedly, she placed a hand over her heart and whispered, "You idiot…"


	2. Shopping Day

AN: I'm sure you all would like to know, this story is DONE...I wrote it a long time ago during class (shows how bored I was). So now it's just a matter of me typing it up and editing.

Notnow didn't edit this chapter, so I'm sure it's full of mistakes. I'm sorry! I hope it doesn't effect your reading!

Enjoy!

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**"Shopping Day"**

**Chapter 2 **

"Class dismissed!"

The teacher's words knocked Rukia out of another trance. She shook her head for what felt like the millionth time, trying to rid her mind of the previous encounter with Ichigo.

She stood up and slowly put her books back into her bag, stalling until Ichigo had made his way out the classroom door. She was finding it particularly difficult to look him in the eye since the rendezvous, and she silently cursed herself. _He didn't mean anything by it. _She told herself furiously. _This is just another one of his stupid ways of pissing me off._

Rukia sighed and left the room. Before one dainty foot had left the previous premise, Orihime had bounced up happily in front of her, stopping the tiny girl abruptly in her tracks. She smiled her best, covering up all the turmoil rampaging in her mind.

"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime said happily. "I heard Keigo-kun invited you to the dance!"

Rukia blinked. He was really spreading the news fast. Quickly Rukia covered up her falter. "Uh…Yeah!"

Orihime giggled again. "I'm sure you don't have a dress, do you?"

A pause. "Well…I have my usual dresses…"

"No, silly! You need a _real _dress…One that will wow Keigo-kun!"

"Then I guess I don't have one…" Suddenly, Rukia wasn't feeling too good about this entire dance thing.

"Great! Neither do I!" Orihime grabbed Rukia's wrist gently. "Let's go pick one out together! They're having a deal down the street…They're so cheap, I'll buy you one! How's that sound?"

Rukia couldn't refuse the smile. She let her shoulders drop in defeat, but didn't let loose her façade. "That sounds great..!"

* * *

Ichigo looked over his shoulder, half expecting Rukia to be following him a ways back. When he saw no one behind him, a small tremor made its way over Ichigo's face, but he quickly muted it. 

Ichigo wasn't one to second guess his decisions. Why he was still thinking about what was going through his head at the time he had pulled Rukia into his arms puzzled him beyond belief. _Must've been the heat or something, _he wondered, as he scratched his head absentmindedly.

For some reason, ever since they had returned from Soul Society, Rukia had been acting really detached. And she talked about _Renji _a lot more than was proving to be comfortable for Ichigo. He grumbled just at the thought of the fire-headed shinigami. But Rukia…She just seemed to be falling further and further away from him. He wanted to slap himself subconsciously for acting so brash on the roof.

It was so obvious to him. Rukia didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be with _him.

* * *

_

A tiny bell jingled happily at the top of the door as the two girls arrived at the clothes boutique.

"Good afternoon, ladies!" A woman in her middle thirties approached quickly in a business-like manner. Her sharp purple dress suit clashed with her dark red hair and horn-rimmed glasses, and she smelled of some kind of heavy perfume that filled Rukia's nostrils angrily. She continued, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Orihime gave Rukia a nudge forward. "She needs a dress for our school dance. Can you help her?"

A gleam flashed across the woman's glasses and her ruby lips curled into a smile. "Help her? Honey, that's what I do!"

As the woman pulled Rukia away, Orihime leaned forward and mouthed, "Have fun!" before turning towards a particularly interesting rack of dresses. Rukia felt like snorting.

Leading Rukia around, the saleswoman plopped dresses into her arms. Holding a few up to her frame, some going directly to the pile, and some back onto the rack. After about a pile of ten had collected, their path led to the dressing rooms at the back of the store. A "gentle" push inside from the woman, and Rukia found herself locked in a room with an armful of clothes. Most of them she didn't even know how to put on.

Rukia fumbled. Looking immediately for a dress that she could just slip over her head, she happened upon a simple blue one. It didn't seem like much. The fabric was light and flowing, the only design being the cinch underneath the chest. She slipped off her school uniform, and then pulled the dress over her head, threading her arms under the thin straps. She turned and looked in the mirror.

The girl in the mirror was a stark contrast to the boyish girl that had stood before it only moments before. The dress complimented her perfectly, ending right at the knees, just how she liked it. A thought dissolved into words before she even had time to revise it.

"I wonder what Ichigo would…" She stopped herself. Rukia looked away from the image and clenched her fists. She wasn't going to this thing with Ichigo. It didn't matter what he thought of the dress, he wasn't her date.

She quelled her next thoughts as she pulled the dress back off and redressed. Rukia didn't feel like shopping anymore. The blue dress was good enough for her.

Orihime decided on a dress not too long later, and they paid. Leaving the store, Rukia turned to the happy girl and bowed. "Thank you very much, Inoue-san."

The boisterous girl waved gleefully. "I'm glad I could help!"

And so they parted their separate ways, each with a dress slung over their arm.

* * *

Rukia climbed up to Ichigo's window later on that night. She had walked around for a while, enjoying the rest of the day while stalling her arrival home to a waiting Ichigo. Rukia slung the dress over her shoulder and made her way up, glad that the window was still open. She was only mildly surprised when she saw Ichigo sitting on his bed reading manga. 

No words were exchanged as she made her way over to the closet door. Rukia opened it and hung the dress up, getting ready to hop into the closet for the night. Just as she got one leg in a small grunt from behind paused her progress. She turned halfway around, her eyes expectant.

The same eyes seemed to knock him off his track as his sentence fumbled immediately. Ichigo looked down and continued with no eye contact.

"Are you…" He stopped for a minute; as if unsure he should continue. A bit of him seemed to give in, and he finished shakily. "Are you…_mad _at me…for earlier?"

Rukia gulped as the memories returned. She averted his gaze quickly and frowned. "Idiot. Why would I be mad at something as trivial as that?"

Ichigo relaxed visibly. A small smile danced at the edges of his lips and Rukia finished climbing into the closet. Just as she was about to shut the door closed, a small voice murmured behind her, "Yeah…"


	3. First Sight

Well, this was a fun chapter, I would have to say. It's proving to be a little difficult to keep them in character, but I'm taking notes from notnow. Speaking of her...She's MIA right now, so she didn't check this chapter either. I hope it's not too scary...

Anyway, enjoy!

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**"First Sight"**

**Chapter 3 **

The rest of the week passed fairly uneventfully, except for the occasional "Keigo Brag" to Ichigo. Outwardly, these bragging fits did not affect Ichigo, but inwardly, they crashed a rough path through his consciousness. Rukia would appear in his mind's eye, dark and mysterious as he had grown accustomed to, then seemingly out of no where Keigo would appear. He would whisk Rukia into his arms and kiss her passionately before Ichigo had time to destroy the image. Ichigo was growing more and more frustrated. He couldn't quite understand why he was even concerned in the first place; he was after all taking the most beautiful girl in his school to the dance. He would try to imagine kissing Orihime, but long orange hair would shorten and turn black, and he would find himself facing Rukia once again, lips pressed against his own.

The last bell of the day of the dance rang, reverberating throughout the hallway angrily. On cue, masses of teens fell out of their classroom. Their usual conversations were laced with inquiries about the evening's dance. It seemed to Ichigo that everyone was making last minute preparations except for him. He even noticed Rukia in the corner with Keigo and Orihime, giggling about something or other. A feeling in his gut that he had grown so accustomed to this past week rose again in his belly. He looked away from them quickly, walking out the door to change the picture in his mind.

_Maybe I should just cancel and give Orihime a chance at a good time. _Ichigo found himself thinking as he leaned on the post outside of his school to wait for Rukia. _Ishida seemed to be interested in taking her…_

After finally making up his mind, Ichigo kicked himself off the post to go find the red-headed beauty. Before he made it back inside the building to search, Orihime bounced up to find him first.

"Kurosaki-kun!" She chimed happily. "Are you excited about tonight? I am, I can't wait! When do you want to meet up?"

Seeing Orihime's face so filled with excitement, he couldn't bear to let her down. He mustered up his best smile. "Yeah…I can't wait…! Um..How about seven?"

"Sounds great! I'll see you there!" She laughed and walked the opposite direction.

Glancing away, he noticed a tiny shock of dark hair suddenly turn on her heels and run off away from him.

* * *

Ichigo shrugged into the final piece of his suit and cast a small look over his shoulder towards the closet. Rukia had entered the tiny space after school three hours ago and still hadn't made her appearance. He glanced at his watch and his eyebrows furrowed tighter together. It was getting close to the time to go. Sighing, Ichigo made his way over to the closet and rapped on the door gently. 

"Oi, Rukia…" Ichigo muttered angrily. He listened for a moment and heard rustling around. He tapped again. "Oi…we're gonna be late…!"

A small muffled voice answered him this time. "Don't you dare laugh or I'll rip your face to shreds."

Ichigo's curiosity only perked a bit more. He turned and scratched his head idly. A tiny hand slid out and pushed the door to the side.

Rukia came out, her light blue dress pooling behind her as a leg daintily reached the floor. She absentmindedly pushed the flower in her hair back into position, and Ichigo could see…was that…_makeup_? The heat rose to his face involuntarily as his vision drew to her smooth legs bearing high heels on her feet.

The moment that she stood on her own out of the closet and made to take a step, her ankles shook and she tumbled forwards into Ichigo's arms. The moment was held for only a moment before she quickly straightened herself up.

"Damn shoes…" She muttered as she straightened out her dress in a huff.

Ichigo wanted to compliment her. Tell her how beautiful she looked. Tell her how she was making his heart beat furiously. Tell her how he loved that light pink lip shine that made her look so kissable. He stopped and mentally shook his head. _You're going on a date with Inoue, damn you. _He forced out a simple compliment. "You look…nice…"

He felt the blush tinge his cheeks and he looked away again, straightening his tie. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed much the same tinge on Rukia's cheeks, and he almost felt proud of himself.

"Um…Are you planning on climbing out of the window in those dress and shoes?" Ichigo pointed out. A small flash went through Rukia's face as she realized she had missed something. He shook his head and put on his best grimace. "We'll sneak you out the front door."

* * *

Ichigo left his room first to check the hallway of his family members. At all clear, he signaled Rukia out and led her down the stairs. He led her to his side, and motioned for her to stop and wait for him.

"When they're distracted, I want you to make a run for the front door." Ichigo whispered hastily. "Wait here until then."

He left Rukia on the stairs and headed towards the kitchen. Right on cue, the boy heard his attack.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin yelled, jumping down from the ceiling and pouncing on his son. A camera that had been swinging around his father's neck caught Ichigo in the nose and he gave a small yelp.

"OW! What do you think you're doing!" Ichigo shouted to his father, pushing him off angrily. A bright light in his eyes stilled him for a moment. When the glare had cleared, the flash from his father's camera lay even with his eyes. He closed his eyes just as his father pressed the shutter again and Ichigo kicked him in the stomach. Isshin flew across the room and landed in a heap just as Yuzu and Karin came in.

"Onii-chan! You look so good!" Yuzu smiled happily. Ichigo got up off the floor just as he noticed a small movement behind him towards the front door. _Good, she made it. _

"Yeah…Who's your date?" Karin asked dryly. Ichigo scratched his head.

"Inoue…I guess…" He answered coolly.

"You 'guess'?" Karin prodded.

"Yeah, I guess. She's not my girlfriend, if that's what you're looking for."

Karin turned her head and closed her eyes. "Whatever. Have a good time, Ichi-ni."

"Mmm! Don't get into any trouble!" Yuzu added.

"Let me get a picture of my little boy all grown up!" Isshin popped up again. He leaped at his son, but a fist only met his grin. He slid to the floor with a smile pasted on his face.

Ichigo brushed himself off before turning around. "I'm off."

He walked out the front door and headed towards the school. Around the first turn, Rukia stood, her arms crossed over her chest and a foot leaning against the wall. At his approach, she looked up.

"'Bout time." She remarked casually before meeting Ichigo's stride and walking towards the school. Ichigo only shrugged as he looked down at her feet.

"You learn quickly." He motioned towards her shoes. Almost as if on cue, she ankles swayed a little and she stumbled, but quickly caught herself. She only shrugged before a giggled bubbled up to her lips. Ichigo caught on and let a small smile reach his lips.

_Maybe this won't be such a bad night after all._


End file.
